Did Shohei Ohtani Just Play the Best Baseball Game Ever?

MIAMI – The Veuve Clicquot had been poured and the commemorative T-shirts had been handed out. Only then, when there had been time to let it all sink in, could his awe-inspiring teammates fully comprehend Shohei Ohtani’s latest display of greatness.

Not only were they amazed by his latest milestone, becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season, but they also spoke with admiration of the way Ohtani made it to the 50-50 club — with a single-game performance for the ages.

“That has to be the greatest baseball game of all time,” Gavin Lux said. “It has to be.”

Ohtani single-handedly crushed the Miami Marlins on Thursday, going 6-for-6, hitting three home runs, driving in 10 runs and stealing two bases — in a game that earned him a spot in the postseason.

“I didn’t even realize he was 6-for-6,” Mookie Betts said. “What we’re seeing is what we’re expecting. It’s crazy that he’s living up to those expectations. But that’s also what leaves you speechless.”

And if Ohtani hadn’t been thrown out when he went for a triple in his third at-bat, he would have had his second career cycle, too.

No player in baseball history had hit three home runs and stolen multiple bases in a game until Ohtani did it on Thursday. No player had collected more total bases (17) in a multi-steal game, breaking the previous record of 11 held by players such as Kirk Gibson and Braggo Roth. No player since at least 1901 had collected at least five hits, hit multiple home runs and stolen multiple bases in the same game.

According to OptaSTATS, no player since 1920 has ever had a 10-RBI day, a six-hit day, a five extra-base hit day, a three-homer day and a multi-steal day in their career. Ohtani crammed all that production into a single Thursday afternoon during a 20-4 thrashing of the Marlins.

Since RBI became official in 1920, only one MLB player has had one in his entire career (in the same game or not)

a game with 10+ RBI
a game with 6+ hits
a game with 5+ XBH
a game with 3+ HR
a game with 2+ SB

That one player is Shohei Ohtani. He did it all today. photo.twitter.com/njXOmwHKnm

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 20, 2024

So how did Ohtani’s masterclass compare to the other best individual offensive performances of all time? With so many worthy contenders, perhaps it depends on the parameters.

The best 6-for-6 days ever?

Few people can speak with more authority on this subject than Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. On May 23, 2002, in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Roberts watched from the Dodgers dugout as teammate Shawn Green hit four home runs, part of a 6-for-6 day.

“Sorry, Shawn,” Roberts said after Ohtani’s outburst, again from the Dodgers dugout. “But in its entirety, I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like that.”

Green’s 19 total bases remains an all-time single-game record. Anthony Rendon (April 30, 2017), Edgardo Alfonso (August 30, 1999), Jimmie Foxx (July 10, 1932) and Ty Cobb (May 5, 1925) all went 6-for-6 games — albeit with fewer total bases than either Green or Ohtani.

Shawn Green hits his fourth home run on May 23, 2002. (Tannen Maury/AFP via Getty Images)

What about RBIs?

While Ohtani’s 10 RBI against the Marlins was impressive, a few other players have beaten him in that department, albeit not by much.

Mark Whiten hit four home runs and drove in 12 on Sept. 7, 1993. It is one of four games ever with more than 10 RBIs by a single player, matching Jim Bottomley’s 6-for-6, 12-RBI game of Sept. 16, 1924. The only other players to drive in more runs (11) in a game than Ohtani did on Thursday are Phil Weintraub (April 30, 1944) and Tony Lazerri (May 24, 1936).

Of course, Ohtani beat that group in one way. None of those games had multiple stolen bases.

Mark Whiten in 1993. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

Best game ever by a designated hitter?

That title, by far, belongs to Ohtani. Since the American League introduced the DH in 1973, only two players have collected six hits while playing the position. The first was Kevin Reimer on August 24, 1993, against Oakland. The second was Ohtani. Despite a job description that calls for complete focus on offense, no DH has ever batted in double figures in runs or collected more than 15 total bases in a game.

“Let the season go – today was probably the best attacking game I’ve ever seen,” said Max Muncy.

What about all-round games?

If individual dominance is the measure, a few pitching performances could rise to the level of the greatest game ever. Think Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game, Sandy Koufax’s 14-strikeout perfect game, or Max Scherzer’s 17-strikeout no-hitter.

Jim Tobin once threw a complete game on the mound while hitting three home runs (though he did allow five runs that day). Rick Wise threw a no-hitter on June 23, 1971 – and hit two home runs himself.

Of course, Ohtani knows a thing or two about dominant two-way performances. In a June 27, 2023, start against the White Sox, he struck out 10 and allowed one run in 6 ⅓ innings while hitting two home runs and going 3-for-4.

But even that achievement may pale in comparison to what Ohtani showed during his dominant performance on Thursday.

“I’ve never seen anyone do that, even in the minor leagues,” Lux said. “So it’s crazy that he’s doing it at the highest level.”

(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani hitting a double: Chris Arjoon/Getty Images)